In La Paz, the state’s resurgent capital on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, the lifestyle sells itself. Cars stop for pedestrians crossing the five-kilometre-long seafront boulevard, lined with restaurants and stores, benches, gardens, marine-themed statues and dedicated running and biking lanes. A chilled margarita blend of locals, expats and tourists imparts a relaxing atmosphere you simply won’t find in the flop-n-drops of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta or Acapulco.

Luxury camping — aka “glamping” — has become a popular travel trend in recent years. But given the number of glamping experiences now on offer, Bryan Jauregui is unsure whether the catchphrase is still useful. Instead, the Louisiana transplant defines glamping as accommodation restricted by its terrain, with no permanent structures, no sewerage, and no access to the grid. 

Together with her husband Sergio, Bryan co-founded Todos Santos Eco Adventures to pioneer outdoor adventure in Baja California Sur, curating a wide range of experiences, such as kayaking, hiking, birdwatching, coral gardening, sandboarding, cliff walking, surfing and whale watching, while upping the wow factor at three off-grid camps. This includes their latest endeavour, Camp Cecil de la Bahia, set on sprawling sand dunes overlooking the grey whale mecca of Magdalena Bay.

Returning to camp, we gather for cocktails on the beach and one of those epic sunsets that never sets in your memory. A locally caught lobster dinner, sourced from another fishing village, is followed by sensational stargazing, enthusiastically led by Sergio, who draws on his deep knowledge of myth and story. The girls dip their toes in the dark waters of the lagoon and gasp at shimmering bioluminescence mirroring the stars above. You remember days like this for a lifetime.

That Camp Cecil delights a nature lover’s imagination is no accident. The Cecil in question is Cecil Kramer, an Emmy Award-winning animation producer with credits that include Wallace & Gromit and Shrek. A close family friend of the Jaureguis, Cecil takes on each glamping site as a passion project, designing the interiors, layout, and ensuring an overall sense of wonder for all ages. Close encounters with a curious, spy-hopping grey whale in Magdalena Bay is the camp’s major draw, which is why the season runs January to March. 

After a sumptuous dinner of grilled red snapper with salads and veggies from the farm, Said pulls out a UV flashlight so we can spot glowing scorpions scurrying between the rocks. “Well, I’m entertained!” exclaims my daughter after such a thrilling and educational day. A desert wind howls against our safari tent, and she’s asleep in seconds.

La Paz has unique outdoor adventures, on bikes, horseback, boats, and underwater, too. My daughter and I hop into the shallow, nutrient-rich waters of the city’s bay, where an annual plankton bloom attracts welcome guests from October through May. Along with Indonesia’s Raja Ampat, this is one of the few places in the world where you can reliably swim with whale sharks. Fortunately, the experience is heavily regulated to the benefit of all creatures in the bay.

Fourteen monitored and licensed boats are limited to two-hour permits, and each gets a maximum of 30 minutes with an individual whale shark. Boats keep their distance, with guests in wetsuits snorkelling toward the shark. The Bay of La Paz boasts staggering marine biodiversity, and the city is home to scientific institutions and NGOs focused on shark, turtle and reef conservation. Marine biologists are everywhere, with many working as local tour guides. Nobody wants to stress the animals, and when we hop into the water to swim with a six-metre-long juvenile, the whale shark appears utterly unbothered by our presence.